There are a number of common medical conditions that can cause a medical patient to perspire profusely. Such patients feel uncomfortably hot. Moreover, the presence of the perspiration weakens the patient's skin so that when the patient is resting on the mattress of a hospital bed he or she is at elevated risk of developing pressure ulcers at points where the skin contacts the mattress. The risk can be attenuated by employing a microclimate management (MCM) topper between the patient and the mattress. MCM toppers include an internal passageway which allows a stream of relatively cool air to flow beneath the patient and transport heat and perspiration to the environment. Such toppers also include an array of cooling holes which allow some of the air to escape from the passageway thereby cooling the patient directly and evaporating perspiration from his or her skin. However even high performing MCM toppers may not always provide sufficient relief. It is, therefore, desirable to devise other ways to cool the patient and evaporate perspiration, particularly if such ways are simple, inexpensive, reliable, convenient to use, and can take advantage of existing equipment and/or infrastructure likely to be present in a health care facility.